Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Ghanaian Languages Meetup (ID: 22591627)/Final Report
Report Status: Under review
Due date: 30 September 2024
Funding program: Rapid Fund
Report type: Final
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[edit]- Applicant username: DaSupremo
- Organization name: N/A
- Amount awarded: 4833.81
- Amount spent: 4192 USD, 65800
Part 1: Project and impact
[edit]1. Describe the implemented activities and results achieved. Additionally, share which approaches were most effective in supporting you to achieve the results. (required)
- Main Conference:
The main event of the Ghanaian Languages Wikimedia Community Meetup 2024 brought together 11 Wikimedia Language Communities from across Ghana. The communities are Dagbani Wikimedians User Group, Fante Wikimedians Community, Dagaare Wikimedia Community, Kusaal Wikimedia Community, Moore Wikimedia Community, Gurene Wikimedia Community, Ghanaian Pidgin Wikimedians Community, Ewe Wikimedia Community, Twi Wikimedia Community, Nzema Wikimedia Community and Ga Wikimedia Community. These communities participated in the discussions, knowledge-sharing sessions, and collaborative brainstorming activities throughout the conference. Participants from partner organizations, such as Sagani TV, Literacy and Development through Partnership - Ghana, Rising Voices, and the Dagbani Teachers Associations, contributed to the discourse, and that brought a lot of perspectives and strengthened our partnerships for future projects. Special sessions were held for communities to give their progress report and also share the common challenges faced by the different language communities, focusing on strategies for overcoming language barriers and closing the digital divide.
- Pre-Conference Workshop on Digital Activism:
A one-day workshop titled “Strengthening Your Language on the Internet through Digital Activism” was organized as a pre-conference activity. This workshop was supported by Rising Voices and focused on equipping participants with digital activism tools and strategies, particularly using the “Digital Initiatives for Indigenous Languages” toolkit. The workshop aimed to empower participants to promote and strengthen their languages in digital spaces, providing them with practical skills in digital media, online content creation, and language advocacy.
- Collaborative Sessions:
The conference held collaborative sessions where different language communities could share their unique experiences, skills, and strategies. These sessions covered community development, volunteer retention, leadership development, and more. The collaborative nature of these sessions allowed participants to learn from each other’s successes and failures, which created an enabling environment of mutual support and innovation.
- Volunteer Recruitment:
The conference also served as a platform for recruiting new volunteers. By raising awareness about Wikimedia’s work in indigenous languages, the event attracted the attention of the general public, leading to an increase in volunteer signups. The scholarship recipients were diverse, including at least two members from each community. Efforts were made to engage with attendees, providing them with information on how to get involved in their local Wikimedia language communities.
Results Achieved
The conference successfully raised awareness about the importance of digitizing indigenous languages, resulting in a higher level of engagement and participation from existing community members and new volunteers alike.
The event facilitated enhanced collaboration among the various language communities. Participants were able to share best practices, learn from each other’s experiences, and develop strategies for overcoming common challenges. This collaboration is expected to continue beyond the conference, with communities planning joint initiatives and projects.
The digital activism workshop provided participants with the tools and knowledge needed to advocate for their languages online. This has empowered them to take concrete steps towards increasing the digital presence of their languages and engaging in online language reclamation efforts. The toolkit introduced at the workshop is now being used by participants to guide their digital activism efforts, contributing to the overall goal of language revitalization.
The conference succeeded in recruiting new volunteers, expanding the reach and impact of the Wikimedia language communities in Ghana. This growth is expected to strengthen the communities and support ongoing and future projects.
Most Effective Approaches
- Collaborative Learning and Sharing:
Bringing together different language communities to share their experiences and strategies was highly effective. This approach fostered a sense of unity and allowed participants to learn from each other, leading to innovative ideas and solutions that can be implemented across various communities.
- Practical Workshops:
The hands-on approach of the digital activism workshop was particularly effective in equipping participants with actionable skills. The focus on practical applications, using the “Digital Initiatives for Indigenous Languages” toolkit, ensured that participants left with concrete strategies to promote their languages online.
- Partnerships and Networking:
The involvement of partner organizations like Sagani TV and Literacy and Development through Partnership - Ghana (LDP) added value to the conference by bringing in additional expertise and resources. These partnerships also opened up opportunities for future collaborations, which will be beneficial for the ongoing efforts to digitize and promote indigenous languages in Ghana.
2. Documentation of your impact. Please use space below to share links that help tell your story, impact, and evaluation. (required)
Share links to:
- Project page on Meta-Wiki or any other Wikimedia project
- Dashboards and tools that you used to track contributions
- Some photos or videos from your event. Remember to share access.
You can also share links to:
- Important social media posts
- Surveys and their results
- Infographics and sound files
- Examples of content edited on Wikimedia projects
- Meta page: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ghanaian_Languages_Wikimedia_Community_Meetup_2024
- Commons category: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ghanaian_Languages_Wikimedians_Community_Meetup_2024
- Important social media posts: https://mobile.x.com/Wikimedia/status/1701657933828755461
- Media publications
- https://ghanalingo.com/ghanaian-languages-wikimedia-community-prepare-for-the-2024-wikimedia-meetup/
- https://diff.wikimedia.org/2024/08/14/ghanaian-wikimedia-language-communities-host-their-second-mini-conference-in-ghana/
- https://www.dagbaniwikimedia.org/blogs/Unlocking%20the%20Potential%20of%20the%20Ga%20Wikimedia%20Community.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rADxz-sVyBw
- https://kingjoris.github.io/Ghanaian-Wikimedia-Languages-Meetup-2024-A-Celebration-of-Digital-Activism-and-Community-Building/
Additionally, share the materials and resources that you used in the implementation of your project. (required)
For example:
- Training materials and guides
- Presentations and slides
- Work processes and plans
- Any other materials your team has created or adapted and can be shared with others
3. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with this Rapid Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals. Required. Select one option per question. (required)
A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups | Strongly agree |
B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Strongly agree |
C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Strongly agree |
D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Strongly agree |
E. Encourage the retention of editors | Strongly agree |
F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Strongly agree |
G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement | Strongly agree |
F. Other (optional) |
Part 2: Learning
[edit]4. In your application, you outlined some learning questions. What did you learn from these learning questions when you implemented your project? How do you hope to use this learnings in the future? You can recall these learning questions below. (required)
You can recall these learning questions below:
- The goal is to strengthen the community, improve collaboration and communication, and drive progress toward the mission of the Wikimedia movement. In details:
- Project update: We hope to learn about the current projects of the various communities and how they are working around the implementation of the 2030 movement strategies.
- Knowledge sharing: We will learn to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and skills among the volunteers to improve collaboration and productivity.
- Community dynamics: We will observe the interactions and relationships between the volunteers and gather insights into their motivations and perspectives
- Networking: We hope to learn about the available opportunities for volunteers and create rooms for network and forming new partnerships.
- Project Update and Implementation of 2030 Movement Strategies:
What We Learned: Through the presentations and discussions, we gained a deeper understanding of how various communities are aligning their projects with the 2030 movement strategies. Some communities are already making significant progress, while others are still exploring ways to integrate these strategies into their work. Future Use: These insights will guide future support and training sessions, focusing on areas where communities need more assistance in aligning their projects with the 2030 movement strategies. We can also track progress more systematically to ensure communities are moving in the right direction.
- Knowledge Sharing:
What We Learned: The facilitation of knowledge and skills sharing was highly effective in improving collaboration and productivity. Communities exchanged innovative approaches to common challenges, and participants were eager to learn from one another's experiences. Future Use: This success reinforces the importance of regular knowledge-sharing sessions. We plan to establish more structured knowledge-sharing platforms, possibly in the form of regular online meetups or forums, to continue fostering collaboration and skill development.
- Community Dynamics:
What We Learned: Observing the interactions between volunteers provided valuable insights into their motivations and perspectives. We noticed that volunteers are driven by a deep commitment to their languages and cultural heritage, but they also face challenges like limited resources and recognition. Future Use: Understanding these dynamics will help us tailor our support to address these challenges. For instance, we might focus on providing more recognition for volunteers' efforts or finding ways to secure additional resources to sustain their motivation.
- Networking and Forming New Partnerships:
What We Learned: The conference highlighted the importance of networking opportunities for volunteers. Many participants were able to connect with potential partners and explore new opportunities for collaboration. Future Use: In future events, we will prioritize creating more structured networking opportunities, such as dedicated networking sessions or partnership-building workshops. This will help volunteers expand their networks and form valuable partnerships that can enhance their projects.
- How These Learnings Will Be Used in the Future
Strategic Alignment: We will use the insights gained to better align community projects with the broader Wikimedia movement strategies, ensuring that all communities are contributing towards the 2030 goals. Enhanced Collaboration: The successful knowledge-sharing activities will be expanded, and we will create more regular opportunities for communities to exchange ideas and learn from one another. Supportive Community Environment: Understanding the community dynamics allows us to create a more supportive environment that addresses volunteers' needs and challenges, keeping them motivated and engaged. Strengthened Networks: The importance of networking will be emphasized in future meetups, with more intentional efforts to facilitate connections and partnerships that can drive the movement forward.
5. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities? This can include both positive and negative situations. What did you learn from those experiences? (required)
We received a huge number of applications from the various language communities in Ghana. We also received applications from neighbouring African countries even though the event was focusing on Ghanaians only. During the meetup, we had technical issues such as slow internet connectivity. Also during the meetup, we had issues with accommodation because there was a political rally happening during that time. In all, participants were happy and some of them shared their opinions and ideas with us on how to improve the yearly meetup.
6. What is your plan to share your project learnings and results with other community members? If you have already done it, describe how. (required)
We created a Diff post with details of what happened during the meetup. Presentations from the various leads of the language communities were summarized in the Diff post. The Link to the Diff was shared among the various language communities through social media channels such as WhatsApp and Telegram. We also created a YouTube video summarising what happened during and after the meetup. We shared the link to the video on the social media platforms as well.
Part 3: Metrics
[edit]7. Wikimedia Metrics results. (required)
In your application, you set some Wikimedia targets in numbers (Wikimedia metrics). In this section, you will describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used.
Target | Results | Comments and tools used | |
---|---|---|---|
Number of participants | 120 | 120 | |
Number of editors | 0 | 0 | |
Number of organizers | 7 | 7 |
Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
---|---|---|---|
Wikipedia | |||
Wikimedia Commons | |||
Wikidata | |||
Wiktionary | |||
Wikisource | |||
Wikimedia Incubator | |||
Translatewiki | |||
MediaWiki | |||
Wikiquote | |||
Wikivoyage | |||
Wikibooks | |||
Wikiversity | |||
Wikinews | |||
Wikispecies | |||
Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
8. Other Metrics results.
In your proposal, you could also set Other Metrics targets. Please describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used if you set Other Metrics in your application.
Other Metrics name | Metrics Description | Target | Result | Tools and comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
60 | We used Google forms to accept applications for the meet up | |||
0 | ||||
9. Did you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results? (required)
No
9.1. Please state what difficulties you had. How do you hope to overcome these challenges in the future? Do you have any recommendations for the Foundation to support you in addressing these challenges? (required)
Part 4: Financial reporting
[edit]10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)
65800
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
4192
12. Report the funds spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
Provide the link to the financial report https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TTBWlvgZchcE3ha3BoOXBOcU4mGXZUByv0sXsENgaP8/edit?gid=0#gid=0
12.2. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)
13. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?
No
13.1. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.
N/A
13.2. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
N/A
13.3. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
N/A
14.1. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?
Yes Your response to the review feedback. 14.2. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
Yes
14.3. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
Yes
15. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. (optional)
Review notes
[edit]Review notes from Program Officer:
N/A
Applicant's response to the review feedback.
N/A